How Does Perception effect Magic in D&D?

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[Cinderblocksally]

I just wanna say that the theorizing/interpretation debate going on in this comment section is excellent. Y’all are the best.

[nolongerdude]

Bard: this spell can't target me
Dm: AND YOU CANT KEEP PRETENDING TO BE A CHEST

[windwaker]

So I can cast sacred flame on my jacket when I think it’s a person in my room in the middle of the night?

[StarryVinyls]

A rule my table always runs is simply: "Magic works on intent". I think this encompasses the perception thing too. Your intent is based on what you perceive.

[jamesh.]

Cleric casts cure wounds on Pet rock, she believes is her best friend. And received a chip in the last battle.
Barbarian: "You know that is just a rock."

[murder_krow]

Honestly this dude is definitely one of my favorite content creators on YouTube since he very actively engages with his audience by replying to interesting things they comment with an actual video

[eafigarella]

That's why we are all the same in the area of effects of a fireball. Objects and creatures alike. No discrimination.

[nthetiteGHOST]

Then when they see a chest, they inspect for traps with a perception check like usual, find its a mimic and suddenly they can cast sacred flame on it.

[Informalgoblin]

Trying to apply this philosophy on magic with any consistancy would be quite the challenge for a dm but if you managed to pull it off, it would be definitely add another layer of emerson

[obiesenpai]

This thread of conversation has flowed quite nicely

[isaachope]

This falls apart when you refer to things like charm person. You perceive a creature as a person, but that doesn't make that target always a person

[kaylebdurant]

Introducing the mad mage, who sees something totally different from reality everywhere he looks, and thus pulls off some of the most... unusual magical combinations possible.

[murderousintent]

I quite like that interpretation, it goes along with one of my rulings which is that you cannot roll an investigation check against an illusion until you have some reason to believe its an illusion.

Like running into it and you go through it or something, I basically half-way extend the line from Phantasmal Force of the target rationalizing the screwups to themselves.

[cherishlevi]

I once used Faerie Fire on a library where the owner told us there was a mimic, I was banking on the mimic succeeding on its save so it was the only object not glowing and it went exactly according to plan. 😎

[DatsVatSheSaid]

Counter-argument: If you are attempting to use it to see if it's a mimic, you perceive and believe it isnt a chest but a creature that looks like a chest

[Ajehy]

Quoth Xanathar’s Guide:

“If the spell normally has no effect on a target that succeeds on a saving throw, the invalid target appears to have succeeded on its saving throw, even though it didn’t attempt one (giving no hint that the creature is in fact an invalid target). Otherwise, you perceive that the spell did nothing to the target.”

So even if you can target chests there’s always the chance for a false negative.

[TheMrBonzz]

I feel like this is more loophole for players to make Blindness and Deftness more OP than it already has.

[James-htfd]

What if my man has anxiety and believes everything is a mimic? Then the spell keeps failing until it doesn’t

[malachitate]

So you could hold person a shapeshifted dragon as long as you don't know it's a dragon?

[buboniccraig]

So
If someones really good at shifting their beliefs on a whim
Which would be a trained skill in this kind of setting
You could target whatever tf you want

This also means you can use object spells on a mimic and just instantly destroy it.